


Sniffles

by mollieblack



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Phanfiction, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-18 12:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11290467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollieblack/pseuds/mollieblack
Summary: How could Phil say no to the adorable man frantically running down the street begging for his help to catch the puppy racing away from him?AU where Dan is a pet store owner and Phil doesn't want to tell him about his cat allergy because he wants to spend every moment with this dorky cute man.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt received from Anonymous on Tumblr

"GET HIM!" Phil's head snapped up from his coffee at the voice, looking up just in time to see a little Corgi puppy rush past him with a huge grin on its face, tongue lapping in the wind. Phil watched it go, standing up and setting his mug down on the patio table of the cafe, looking back to where the voice came from. 

He saw a man, panting as he ran. He was tall, taller than Phil which was unusual, and he had soft curly brown hair that was matted to his forehead with sweat. Phil stared at him in a daze for a moment as he approached, then remembered what the man had said and began running after the dog, just a few steps in front of the man.

"I think he went this way!" Phil called as they reached an intersection, deciding to veer left and the man followed, nodding as he panted. Phil caught sight of a fluffy tail disappearing into a bush and grinned, slowing so he could sneak up on it. 

"Right here." He hissed and the man slowed also, giving him a small smile through his heavy breathing as they slowed to tiptoe towards the bush. "I'll take the other side." Phil instructed and the man nodded, spreading out to corner the dog in the bush. 

Two minutes later Phil was sitting on the ground, holding tightly to the squirming Corgi as the brunette man who was still catching his breath locked a leash onto the dog.

"Thanks." The man gasped and Phil nodded, standing up and brushing the hair off his jeans.

"No problem, I love Corgis. Is it yours?"

"I mean kind of. I own a pet store so yes and no." 

"Well I'm glad you got... her? Him?" Phil asked and the man chuckled a little.

"Her. I'm Dan by the way." Dan held out his hand that didn't have the leash in it and Phil took it, shaking hands as a more formal introduction than their real meeting had been.

"Phil, nice to meet you."

"You too. Thank you for helping me get her." The man smiled, and Phil saw he had dimples, one deeper than the other, and Phil felt himself melt a bit. This man was  _very_ attractive. Phil knew that for a fact, because somehow he was finding himself staring at the man more than at the Corgi, and Phil  _loved_ dogs.

"Oh uh yeah of course." Phil blushed a bit, smiling, and the man grinned back.

"Well Phil it was nice to meet you, I should head back to my shop. See you around?" Dan said warmly and began to leave, but Phil felt a tug in himself and jogged a bit to catch up.

"Wait!" he shouted out, only realizing afterwards that he had no game plan. He just knew he didn't want to say goodbye quite yet.

"Uh... I've been wanting a pet for a while. Could I walk with you to your shop? Maybe I'll actually adopt one." Phil stammered, not entirely telling a lie. He  _did_ really want a pet, though he hadn't exactly been planning on adopting a new animal today. But it'd be fun to walk with Dan back to the shop and talk to him more, look at some animals. Hey, maybe even come out of the day with a new phone number or a plan to see the cute pet boy again. 

"That sounds great. We have lots of pets, I'm sure you could find one you'll love." Dan grinned, and it was infectious, leaving Phil grinning like an idiot as he walked next to Dan and the Corgi.

"What's her name?" he asked, looking at the dog.

"Right now it's Bella, but we don't use the animals' names too much because a lot of people want to change them when they adopt, so we don't want to get them too used to a name that won't end up being their name forever." Phil nodded, almost saddened by the fact that the animals didn't _really_ get names. 

When they arrived at the pet shop, Phil's eyes widened. Dan walked in and closed the door, picking up Bella and talking to her in a baby voice as he scratched behind her ears, then pet her in a little pen with a few other dogs who ran up to her and immediately greeted her, wagging tails.

There were cats too (which Phil made sure to keep a wide birth of to refrain from sneezing, he was allergic) , birds, snakes, hamsters, turtles, even a capybara that Phil immediately went up to and reached in to pet. 

"You like animals." Dan observed with a small smile, reaching a spurt of seeds into a parrot's cage and chuckling as the parrot squawked 'MINE MINE MINE' before taking the spurt.

"I  _love_ animals." Phil corrected, moving towards the turtles and reaching down to stroke one of their shells. 

"You wanna feed him?" Dan asked, and Phil shot his gaze around to meet Dan's, a huge smile excitedly dancing on his face. 

"Are you kidding me?" Dan chuckled at Phil's enthusiasm and brought out from behind the counter a small container of meal worms and tongs. 

"Just take a mealworm in the tongs and put it in front of him, he'll take it." Dan instructed and Phil nodded, doing as he said. The turtle poked its head out of its shell curiously, then extended further forward when it saw the food in front of its face, snapping it up quickly and chewing the worm. 

"That's amazing! Thank you!" Phil grinned, turning to Dan who was now next to him, leaning against the turtle enclosure. 

"Of course. I love it when people come in, even if they don't adopt a pet it's really nice for the pets to get attention and there's only so much I can do." Dan smiled, and Phil nodded.

"Well my work schedule is super light right now so I'm always looking for something to do... I'll have to come by more often!" Phil grinned, and Dan nodded.

"I'd love that." 

Phil blushed a bit, feeling tingles all down his right side at Dan's proximity. He was extremely attractive, but the way he interacted with these animals and the way he looked at them... that was true love and Phil couldn't help adoring him. 

Suddenly Phil  _really_ wanted to impress him or do something to make Dan proud of him, and he began frantically looking around. He had no ideas until his gaze rested on a guinea pig cage and he sighed a bit, shrugging to himself because he  _was_ all alone in the apartment and how much work could one guinea pig be?

"Can I look at the guinea pigs?" he asked and Dan giggled a bit.

"Of course you can!" 

Phil smiled and went over. All the guinea pigs ran into their little plastic huts except one silver and white one who stayed, sniffing the air. 

"That's Lola. She's blind." Dan explained, and now Phil could see that her eyes were glazed over a bit. 

"Can I hold her?" Phil asked timidly, unsure if holding  _any_ guinea pig was smart, especially a blind one.

"Yeah, just rub your fingers together by her ear first to let her know you're there then run them over her back lightly and then you can pick her up. She's actually our most sociable guinea pig, she loves attention." Dan said warmly and Phil followed instructions. 

Soon Phil was standing there with a guinea pig wrapped in his arms, sniffing him furiously.

"She likes you." Dan observed, that adoring look taking over his face that Phil saw when he looked at these animals, and in turn Phil gazed adoringly at Dan. 

"I'll take her." the words were out of his mouth before he thought them, and for a second he panicked, but the next moment all his fears were gone because Dan was looking at him now in excitement but also with a remnant of that adoring gaze and Phil felt like he was going to melt.

"Really? She's been here so long... no one wants a blind guinea pig." 

"Well I do! Lola, you've got a new home!" Phil said to her, nuzzling her back with his nose and giggling as she made a little sound. 

"Alright!" Dan grinned and got Phil set up with all the things he'd need. It was more than Phil expected and fairly expensive but money had never really been a problem for him so he handed it over without a worry. His real worries lied with getting all this stuff back to his flat. He didn't have a car and he had an entire pen to transport.

"Um... I don't know how I'll get this stuff home." Phil admitted and Dan smiled, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about that. I have a store car and we can drive together once I close if you don't mind... I'm off in just half an hour.

"Of course not!" Phil beamed, because more and more he was becoming entranced by this brunette and he loved the idea of spending more time with him. Maybe he could even convince him to come in Phil's flat for some tea and to help set up the pen. 

"So what made you want to own a pet store?" Phil asked as he absently stroked Lola, sitting down on a chair as Dan went behind the desk to organize some adoption papers. 

"Oh I don't know. Honestly I think it was a bit of a 'fuck you' to my parents. Sorry for my language!" Dan apologized, seeming to realize he was still working and Phil giggled.

"It's fine." He smiled and Dan nodded, relaxing.

"Yeah they wanted me to be some big professional lawyer but I've always loved pets and so one day I just decided to drop out of Uni and go to the local pet store. How was I supposed to know that the ninety year old woman who owned it would leave me the store in her will?" Dan shrugged, and Phil nodded.

"Well are you happy here?" he asked, and Dan nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Yes I love being surrounded by all these animals. Honestly I rarely get along with humans, so these guys are my friends." Dan smiled, reaching down to pat an older dog who was just laying on the floor, seemingly allowed to roam the shop as it pleased.

"I can imagine it'd be a great job." Phil agreed, imagining how it'd be for his work to just be spending time with a bunch of animals all day every day. It seemed like something he could get used to.

"Yeah it doesn't even feel like a job, I love it so much." Dan mused and Phil grinned, unable to stop staring at the boy. 

They made idle chit chat for a while and then Dan was turning around the sign in the window to say 'CLOSED' and they made their way out into a small car with the pet shop's logo on it, bringing Luna in a little carrier along with all the things she'd need and loading them into the car.

Phil directed Dan to his house and when they got there and got all the stuff, he turned to face Dan.

"Uh... do you mind maybe helping me bring the stuff in and set it up? I can make us some tea or coffee or something. Only if you want though if you're busy that's totally-"

"I'd love to." Dan cut him off with a hand on his upper arm in reassurance, and Phil shivered, excitement coursing through him.

"Okay." he agreed, smiling at Dan in wonder, completely entranced by this man. "Just this way." and the two men made their way into Phil's flat, carrying the new member of his family along with. 

  



	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry about less frequent updates lately my life has gotten super busy, thank you all for sticking with me and being so patient <3

Phil's flat was... fun. That was the best word Dan could think of to describe it. It wasn't  _dirty,_ but it was cluttered and there were little things everywhere and potted plants littering each room. Dan smiled a bit to himself as he helped Phil take two trips to bring in all the things for Lola, and they moved some books out of the way in the lounge to set up her pen. 

"Do you want some tea? You can stay for a bit... if you want." Phil said a little nervously, and Dan grinned. Phil was cute and Dan had been sort of hoping he'd get invited to stay.

"I'd love that." Dan said warmly, and Phil smiled in relief.

"Okay um what kind of tea do you like?"

"Black is fine." 

Phil gave Dan a small smile and then disappeared into the kitchen. Taking a seat on the sofa, Dan looked around him, taking in Phil's flat. He noticed a Totoro plushie and beamed, only affirming that he was happy he'd come in. Dan generally didn't like people all that much - it's why he chose to spend his life surrounded by animals - but something about the dark haired man in the kitchen made Dan want to give him a chance. 

"Here you go." Phil said, re-entering the room and placing a steaming mug on the coffee table in front of Dan.

"Thank you." Dan responded, sniffing it but deeming the tea too hot to drink quite yet.

"So where do you work?" he asked, realizing there wasn't much he knew about this man.

"Oh just at this cafe down the street from your shop. It's alright... my hours keep getting cut though and the management is falling apart... I'm thinking about just quitting and finding a new job but I have no leads." Phil explained, and Dan nodded. He felt bad, it'd suck to be stuck in a job you didn't love. Dan couldn't imagine being happier with his job, and he knew it was something he took for granted sometimes. 

Suddenly an idea came over him, and Dan's eyes widened, a grin taking over his face.

"Phil! You could come work at my shop!"

"What?" Phil's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Dan.

"Yeah, you could work at my shop! I'm the only person who works there and I do my best but there's only so much one person can do and I've been meaning on finding someone to hire and the animals would love another person and I think you'd be great there and... sorry I'm getting really excited." Dan stopped himself, realizing he'd been talking at a mile a minute. "But yeah... if you wanted to... you could work at my store." Dan said a little quieter with a shy smile because he'd maybe let his excitement show a little too much, and he didn't want to scare off the cute boy who'd just made him tea.

"I... um..." Phil mumbled, taking in what Dan had just offered. "Thank you! I mean... I don't know if I can... I still haven't decided about leaving the cafe for sure yet... uh... can I think on it?" he stammered, and Dan blushed, feeling guilty for dropping that all on Phil so suddenly.

"Of course! Sorry, I just had the idea and got excited for a second. Of course take all the time you want. Just know that if you  _do_ want a job, there's one waiting for you." Both boys relaxed, and Dan took a sip of his tea, deeming it cool enough at this point. 

They drank tea in silence for a bit, and just when the silence had dragged on a few seconds too long and Dan was scrambling in his brain for something to say, Phil spoke up. 

"Uh, do you want to watch a movie?" 

"Yes!" Dan responded quickly, happy for the idea of not only something to focus on and take the pressure away from conversing, but also the promise that he'd be allowed to stay for a while longer. 

"Okay! Any requests?" Phil asked as he moved to a stack of DVDs. Dan looked at them from across the room and one caught his eye.

"I know it's maybe silly, but I  _love_ How to Train Your Dragon." Dan said sheepishly, but Phil grinned and popped the DVD into the TV.

"Popcorn?" Phil asked as he made his way to the kitchen and Dan nodded vigorously.

"Yes please!" 

They ate popcorn and watched the movie. Dan enjoyed the calm feeling of just sitting in someone else's presence while a movie played, and he found several times that he had a small lazy grin plastered across his face. That grin only grew when Phil got up to make them more tea then returned, sitting much closer to Dan than he had the first time so that their thighs and shoulders pressed together lightly. 

Dan smiled a bit and relaxed into it, pressing into the touch, and near the end of the movie his heart was racing as he laid his head down on Phil's shoulder. When Phil didn't shove him off immediately Dan let the tension go and allowed the full weight of his head to rest on Phil, hoping he wasn't overstepping anything. Phil was really cute and sweet and Dan felt almost intoxicated by his presence. Something in him just couldn't help wanting to be closer to the raven haired man, and it was scaring him a bit, but he also felt more alive than he had in years. 

When Phil's fingers came down to lace with Dan's he could have sworn he felt his stomach do a full flip and he bit his lip as he grinned, squeezing Phil's hand in assurance. Phil allowed his head to rest down on Dan's, and they both relaxed. They stayed sat like this throughout the end of the movie, and then for about ten minutes afterwards, completely silent.

Finally, Dan heard a sound coming from the other room and sighed, pulling away from Phil.

"Lola needs food." he mumbled through his blush, and Phil stood up, nervously tugging on the hem of his shirt.

"Oh uh yeah. Um... well thanks for coming over, Dan. I'll uh... see you around?"

"Yeah!" Dan responded with nervous excitement, then giggled a bit as Phil pulled him in for an awkward hug, and soon Dan was back on the street and driving home.

It wasn't until he arrived home and took out his phone that he cursed himself for not asking for Phil's number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so incredible and amazing, I'm so appreciative of all of you. I'm sorry I've been in a bit of a funk lately and I'm feeling kind of bad about my writing... I decided I HAD to get a chapter out today so I'm posting this, but idk... feeling weird about it. I hope it's okay :\ Thank you <3


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all so much <3

Phil fed Lola and brushed his teeth, getting ready for bed. Once he hopped into bed and pulled out his phone he realized he had completely forgotten to ask for Dan's number. He sighed and dropped his phone, head falling back against the pillow. A smile crossed his face, beaming towards the ceiling with his eyes closed, still feeling tingles rushing all over him from he and Dan's closeness.

Dan was so adorable and sweet and kind and something had  _definitely_ happened. Phil fell asleep with his heart soaring and his face resting in a small grin.

When Phil awoke it was to the sound of his alarm and he groaned, getting up and dressing for a shift at the cafe. He took a taxi, feeling too lazy to walk today, and being just late enough that he wasn't sure if he would make it on time if he walked. 

Phil's shift passed slowly, every minute felt like an hour. All his coworkers were teens who Phil couldn't really relate to and wasn't all that close with, and the customers were assholes. He tried to smile and be friendly but he knew he was only putting in halfhearted efforts. 

He couldn't stop thinking of Dan. Of how his hair curled softly. Of how his dimples shone through as he laughed. Of his adoration for his pets. Of his long fingers laced through Phil's own. Of his offer for Phil to work with  _him_ instead of at this cafe. 

By the end of his shift he knew he had to go back to Dan's store. If nothing else than to get his number. 

When Phil walked in, Dan had a cat in his arms and was stroking her softly. A little bell dingled as Phil entered, and Dan looked up, a smile taking over his face.

"Phil!" Dan exclaimed, and Phil grinned, because Dan was smiling at him and Dan's smile was more infectious than the plague.

"Hey." Phil responded, beaming at the man with the cat in his arms. "How are you?"

"I'm great! Just taking care of Mittens here, she got a thorn in her foot." Dan said the last half to the cat in a pouty voice, then placed her back in her pen gingerly. Once Mittens was back, Dan walked towards Phil and at the last minute pulled him into an excited hug. Phil hugged him back, squeezing tightly before he sneezed violently. Dan pulled back, giggling a bit. "Gesundheit!" Dan exclaimed, and Phil smiled shyly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

"Sorry!" 

"It's okay. I'm glad you came by, I realized I forgot something really important yesterday." Dan smiled, and Phil raised his eyebrows, feeling another sneeze coming on, but shoving it down. "Well I got home and pulled out my phone to thank you for letting me stay over for so long, and realized I don't have your number, Phillip!" Dan jokingly scolded, and Phil blushed.

"Well then that must have to change!" Phil declared, and they both giggled a bit as they exchanged numbers. As Phil was typing Dan's into his phone he sneezed again, accidentally clicking some random buttons and then dropping his phone altogether with the violence of the sneeze. 

Dan picked up the phone and looked at it, raising an eyebrow to Phil. "So my name is now Danurtioj?" 

Phil giggled as he took his phone back. "I think I'll have to save it like that. Dont'cha think, Danurtioj?" Dan gave him a 'warning' look, and Phil chuckled as he corrected it back to 'Dan'. "Okay, okay. Back to boring old 'Dan'." Dan rolled his eyes as he stepped behind the counter and took out some food for the birds that he began walking around and placing in their cages. 

"So Phil, have you thought any more about my offer?" Phil bit his lip, because he had thought about it today. He'd thought about it a lot. He really did want to work here, it'd be so much better than the cafe and he'd get to work with animals. Not to mention that he'd get to work with  _Dan._ There was just one problem, and it'd been highlighted even more for him by his sneezing, and now by the fact that his eyes were getting a bit puffy and he was suddenly feeling intensely tired. As much as he wanted to work here, could he do so with a cat allergy as bad as his was? He didn't want to tell Dan because he might take away the offer, and more and more Phil was wanting to just say it was worth it, but he was still unsure. 

"I don't know. I have thought about it more, but I'm not entirely sure yet." Phil admitted. "I promise I haven't forgotten though." he smiled and Dan nodded in approval.

"Good. Because it gets lonely around here and I like spending time with you." Dan didn't look at Phil when he said this, and Phil was grateful because that meant Dan didn't see the flaming red blush that took over Phil's face. 

"Uh... yeah so anyways..." Phil was feeling more and more drowsy and realized he was starving. "I think I might head home and have some dinner, I'm famished." 

Dan looked up in shock and with a twinge of sadness to his eyes, then a thought seemed to pass his mind as he took a few seconds before answering Phil.

"You know it's been dead in here all day and the animals are taken care of... I think I might close up early. Do you want to grab some food together? It'll be faster than anything you make at home." 

Phil felt his heart soar at Dan's offer, and he accepted quickly, piping up before Dan had even finished, "Yes! Yes, that sounds wonderful!" They both giggled a bit, and then Dan was closing off the computers and flipping the sign, wishing one last goodbye to his animals, and then they were walking down the street. 

"What do you want to eat?" Dan asked, and Phil shrugged. 

"I don't know... maybe Italian?" he suggested, and Dan nodded, pulling him into a little Italian restaurant Phil knew was only about a block away. And if he'd chosen Italian because he knew there was somewhere so close and it just so happened to be lowly lit and nice and romantic feeling, he sure wasn't about to admit that. 

They were seated by the host and ordered, Phil ordering the spaghetti and Dan ordering ravioli. 

"Really, Phil? You can make spaghetti so easily, why would you order that?" Dan giggled once the waitress was gone.

"I don't know. I love spaghetti! Also I don't like cheese, so spaghetti is safe for me amongst all the cheesy Italian dishes." 

"You don't like cheese?" Dan gawked, looking at Phil as if he was an alien. 

"I know, I know! Something's wrong with me, I'm insane, I know! I just don't like it." Phil held up his hands in surrender, and Dan sighed, shaking his head.

"There really is something wrong with you." Dan agreed, but he gave Phil a sweet smile and kicked his foot gently under the table to make sure he knew Dan was only joking. Phil scrunched up his nose as he grinned and kicked Dan back, and soon they were in a full out battle, kicking each other under the table and trapping each others feet with their own to try to hold them back, squirming in their seats. 

When the waitress returned with their food they both sat up straight, blushing a bit as they untangled their feet and ankles. She placed down their plates and asked them if there was anything else she could bring. When they both said no, she smiled a bit. "You two are really cute by the way." She said warmly, and Phil's face heated up.

"Oh no we're not-"

"Thank you." Dan interrupted, and the waitress got a confused and slightly apologetic look on her face, but then smiled and told them to just call her over if there was anything else they needed. 

Once she was gone Dan looked at Phil, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I just didn't want to make it awkward for her." 

"No, it's totally fine. I shouldn't have tried to correct her." Phil said, his heart secretly doing flips and spins at the fact that Dan had just told someone they were together. He didn't know what it was about this man, but being around him made Phil feel alive. Everything was exciting when it came to Dan, and Phil was finding himself falling more and more for the brunette with the chocolate brown eyes. 

Dan blushed and smiled up at Phil through his lashes, and Phil could have sworn Dan could impregnate someone with that look. Phil bit his lip and then directed his attention to his food, afraid that any second more spent looking at Dan would result in him doing or saying  _something_ horrifically embarrassing. 

They ate in silence for a while, and Phil's heart was fluttering, but it did a full hop when he felt Dan's foot come back and brush his, lightly this time. Phil looked up from his fork at Dan, seeing that Dan was looking back at him. He smiled and brushed his foot back against Dan's, then felt Dan lock their ankles and Phil sighed nervously, allowing their ankles to stay linked through the rest of their meal. 

When the check came Dan snatched it immediately. Phil protested, but he was left speechless at Dan's argument. "You're not allowed to pay. I asked you out, and you're not allowed to pay on the first date." Phil saw Dan bite his lip and blush profusely at the use of the term 'date', but Phil was pretty sure the blush on his own cheeks could rival Dan's. 

"Okay." was all he managed to squeak out, and he felt Dan's foot nuzzle his own lightly under the table. 

Once Dan had paid they got up to leave. 

"Can I walk you home?" Dan asked, and Phil grinned, taking his hand. 

"I'd love that." he responded, earning a shy smile from Dan. 

They walked back the few blocks to Phil's flat, and Phil was grateful that he lived close enough that he wouldn't feel _too_  guilty having Dan walk him back and then have to return to his car at night. Along the way they talked, mostly about the pet store. "So wait... Mittens got a thorn in her foot? How, if she just lives in that pen?" Phil asked, and Dan smiled.

"Well I'm not  _that_ cruel. I couldn't keep animals in those tiny pens  _all_ their lives! I have some enclosures in the back where I let the animals run around sometimes to get some exercise and be outside and in a new environment. I guess a thorn got into one of them. There  _is_ a rosebush on the fence." Dan said, and Phil nodded, admiring how much Dan cared for these animals. He squeezed Dan's hand, and made a decision.

"Yes." Dan looked over at him in confusion, and Phil elaborated. "Yes I'll work for you." he clarified, and even if it might be hard with the cats, Dan's grin was worth it and Phil couldn't help stopping on the sidewalk to turn and pull Dan into a hug. "Thank you." he whispered, and Dan squeezed him tighter.

"No, thank you." Dan responded, and they stayed hugging for a while. When they pulled apart there was a moment where their faces were just inches away and they hesitated for a moment, gazes flicking over the other's face, but then Phil coughed in embarrassment and they both turned away quickly, continuing to walk down the street. Their hands did find each other again, though, and it helped comfort Phil as he screamed at himself internally for ruining that moment. 

When they arrived at Phil's house, he felt like it was hours too soon. He wanted that walk to last so much longer. They hugged again, and then both just stood there awkwardly, neither entirely wanting to say goodbye. Phil bit his lip and took a deep breath, drawing in some courage.

"So... if this is our first official date... is this the part where-" but his words were cut off by soft lips against his own, and Phil couldn't care less about being interrupted. It was soft and gentle, sweet and short, but to Phil it was perfect and when they pulled away, both wide eyed and grinning, Phil felt like he might just float away if it weren't for Dan's hands holding him down. 

"Goodnight, Phil." Dan whispered, and Phil blinked a few times, still in a bit of shock.

"Night, Dan." he responded, and was awarded a soft kiss on the cheek before Dan squeezed his hands in farewell and then was walking away and Phil watched him go, a dopey grin on his face.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks 300,000 words on this site!!!!!! fjdksafoiewajfioejfskld!!!!!!!

Phil showed up at the shop at ten in the morning. They hadn't exactly decided on a time, so Dan had just been waiting and when the dark haired man walked through the door he beamed, walking around the counter to pull Phil in for a hug. 

"I officially quit the cafe." Phil said with a grin, and Dan felt his heart flutter.

"Yeah? So... does that mean..."

"As long as you'll still have me, I'd love to start working here." Phil confirmed, biting his lip in excitement. 

"Okay! Let's get you introduced to all the animals!" 

Dan spent about two hours going over all the logistics of the shop. From how the computer system ran to legal documents about adoptions to feeding times, and then to actual animal introductions. Phil was very enthusiastic and loved petting all the creatures, and it made Dan's heart soar because he loved that he could share his love for animals with Phil. He furrowed his brow in confusion when Phil hesitated to take Angel, the fluffy white cat that Dan held out to him, but after a moment Phil took her into his arms. 

They walked around the shop and Phil began sneezing after a while and wiping his eyes.

"Sorry, that happens sometimes when you're around so many new animals. You'll get used to it!" Dan smiled reassuringly. 

A few kids came into the shop throughout the day, dragging their parents along. One man came in to buy some small mice to feed to his snake, and one little boy came in tugging on his mum's arm, eventually convincing her to buy him a hamster. Other than that it was slow, and by five o'clock they were closing up.

"So... you still excited about this job?" Dan grinned, looking at Phil.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm super ex...ahhh... ahhhhCHOOOO!" Phil sneezed loudly, grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose, then wiping his eyes which were tearing up. 

"How about we get you home and make you some tea, I hope you're not getting sick." Dan commented, concern growing as he realized that Phil's entire face looked a bit swollen and he seemed a bit out of it.

"Okay yeah... yeah that sounds good... you... will you come with me?" Phil asked in a bit of a daze, and Dan nodded, leading Phil out to his car. They weren't going to walk today, not with Phil swaying side to side how he was. 

They made their way back to Phil's flat and Dan walked him in, then put on some tea for both of them and set Phil up on the sofa with a blanket. 

"Thank you." Phil said meekly as he took the steaming mug Dan handed him a few minutes later. "Sorry my head's just throbbing I can't think too straight." Dan smiled sympathetically and sat next to Phil.

"Do you want me to stay with you for a while?" He asked, and Phil nodded.

"Yeah... please?" 

"Of course. Do you want to watch a movie?" 

"No... just wanna lie here. Maybe some music though." 

Dan nodded and put some music on the TV, soft background music just to keep some noise around them. Once they'd both sipped some tea, Phil began looking around, seemingly trying to figure out how he wanted to situate himself. Dan drew in a nervous breath and turned so he was leaning against the armrest of the couch, legs and arms out invitingly. 

"You wanna lie with me?" Dan asked, and Phil looked up in a bit of surprise, but then smiled shyly, and Dan's heart melted just a little. 

"Yeah... yeah I'd like that." Phil replied, and crawled over so he was laying between Dan's legs with his head resting on Dan's chest. He pulled the blanket over them, and Dan leaned forward into Phil's hair which he inhaled while also brushing through it with his fingers.

"Sorry I'm so out of it..." Phil murmured, and Dan shook his head.

"Shhhh shhhh, it's okay. Just relax, you can fall asleep if you want." Dan whispered, and Phil hesitated but then nodded.

"Uh... can I..." Phil mumbled, then shook his head quickly. "Nevermind." 

"What?"

"Nothing sorry just ignore me."

"Phil you can do whatever you want." Dan assured him, and after a moment Phil sighed and used his arms to flip himself over so he and Dan's chests touched, Phil's ear to Dan's heart which skipped a beat. Dan wrapped his arms back around Phil and squeezed him in reassurance. As just an extra bit of comfort, he craned his neck down to press a soft kiss to Phil's hair, then pulled away smiling as he felt Phil's contented sigh.

"Thank you." Phil whispered as he drifted to sleep on Dan's chest. 

 

Dan waited for hours, listening to soothing music as he lightly ran his fingers through Phil's soft hair and synced his breathing up with Phil's. The sun went down eventually but Dan didn't care. He felt warm and happy and safe, and it was all due to the man asleep on his chest. 

At about 11pm, according to the clock on the windowsill, Phil began to stir and then pushed up to look at Dan, his eyes wide.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry, I..." Phil began to apologize, pushing away, but Dan squeezed him tighter, not allowing him to escape quite yet.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize, you're really cute when you're sleepy." Dan grinned, and he saw a blush rise to Phil's cheeks.

"Oh." was all Phil managed to say, but he didn't continue trying to pull away, so Dan applied some pressure to his back, pulling him towards Dan.

Phil blushed more but then complied, and soon Dan had pulled him all the way to him and their lips were moving together carefully, softly as Phil propped himself over Dan. Dan smiled lightly into the kiss and he felt it returned as he brought his hand up to cup the side of Phil's face. After a few more seconds Phil pulled away, chuckling softly.

"Dan, didn't you say you thought I was sick?" he asked, eyes locked on Dan's lips.

"I don't care." Dan responded and pulled him back in for another kiss, this one deepening a bit, and Dan felt like he could feel all of Phil, like they were one, moving together and melding together, and he never wanted that to change. 

After a few moments, though, he remembered Phil's sickness and pulled mere inches away to look up at Phil with concern in his eyes.

"Are you feeling better? Are you up to this right now?" He asked softly, and Phil chuckled again.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better. And I'll never not be up to this." Dan giggled as Phil came down, this time for just a quick peck. "Dan? What exactly is... this?" he asked, gesturing between he and Dan's chests to indicate that he was talking about them.

"What do you want it to be?" Dan asked in response, and Phil rolled his eyes, laughing.

"That is such a cop out answer!" 

"Okay... well how about this? I want this to be probably more than I should want it to be this soon, so odds are that whatever you want it to be I'll be fine with, and I'll just be excited and waiting for more." he said with a shy grin, and Phil beamed, leaning down to kiss him again. He pulled back after a few seconds and looked Dan in the eye from just inches away.

"Okay... boyfriend." 

Dan felt fluttering in his heart and electricity racing through his body and he wanted to jump and sing and spin Phil in a circle, but he just smiled and pulled Phil into a deep hug, then pulled away after a while with one more kiss on the way.

"Except..." Phil started, and Dan felt his heart drop in anticipation. "I think we're going to need to find a new plan for work." he giggled, and Dan raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Do you not want to work together if we're dating?" he asked in confusion, and Phil shook his head.

"No it's not that, it's just... you know how I felt bad earlier? Well... I'm not sick. I'm just... I'm allergic to cats!" He admitted with his eyes squinted in embarrassment, and Dan burst out laughing.

"Phil! Is that all?"

"Yeah, I don't think I can work in the shop! They make me sneeze so much!" Phil sighed, and Dan shook his head at how adorable the man over him was.

"Phil... they have allergy medication." he said, and Phil's jaw dropped, his hand coming over quickly to cover it.

"How did I never think of that?" he marveled, and Dan chuckled as he pulled Phil into a kiss.

"You're adorable." he mumbled into Phil's mouth, and he felt Phil relax into a smile as they spent the rest of their evening kissing and thinking of what the future might bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I know this was a bit of a different fic, and it might seem anticlimactic to you, and if it does I'm sorry. I wrote this kind of as a break for me. I've been writing a lot of intense stuff lately and that coupled with my life getting busier, I just wanted to take a break and write a short fluffy fic. On top of that, I decided I wanted to make this relationship more realistic to real life. No huge problems, no gigantic drama, and no huge 'realization' moments, just a natural build. I know it's different, though, and I hope you guys aren't left feeling too unsatisfied :P trust me there will be more dramatic fics to come :)


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